Our Obligation as Earth Caregivers

By Geoffrey Holland

The thing that we all share, regardless of gender-identity, ethnicity, or nationality,

is a common human ancestor. We all come from the same human beginnings; the

same mother and father. We humans are the most consequential of all the living

species on Earth, and at the most fundamental level, we are all family.

"My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together." – Desmond

Tutu, Human Rights Leader"

The Defining Moment We Are In

In this third decade of the 21st Century, humans are at the end of the road with the

old order. We find ourselves caught up in cultural, political, and environmental

dysfunction that is colossal in scale. It is the culmination of ten thousand years of

patriarchy, tribalism, and turf wars. That’s ten-thousand-years of men making the

rules, and women being marginalized.

So much has changed in just the past 100 years. To start, let’s focus on human

numbers. In 1925, there were less than 2 billion humans worldwide, now there are

four times as many; 8.3 billion humans, all requiring food, water, shelter, and all

the rest that goes with being human. Every year, we continue to grow our planet’s

human population by about 75 million. In scale, that’s like adding the equivalent of

25 cities the size of Chicago to the planet every passing year.

The Earth has not gotten any larger. We all depend on our planet’s living systems

for survival. Despite that reality, humans continue to plunder our planet’s

resources to exhaustion. What kind of future are leaving to our ancestors? Our

current momentum is a sure ticket to civilization-scale collapse.

Time to wake up. To meet this moment of reckoning, we humanity need focus and

commitment. We need it now. We must rally together behind the transformative

common values that define the best way of being human.

"In nature's economy, the currency is not money, it is life." – Vandana Shiva,

Environmental Activist and Feminist Scholar

The Nature of Cultural Scale Humanism

How do we achieve the best outcome in a world so seriously divided culturally and

politically?

Cultural scale humanism refers to a framework of values, ethics, and action that

upholds the dignity and well-being of all people—not just at the individual or

institutional level, but at the level of entire societies and civilizations. It seeks to

shape culture itself toward a more just, compassionate, and sustainable future.

While not always defined under one banner, the principles of cultural scale

humanism can be drawn from philosophies such as human rights-based

development, deep ecology, feminist ethics, and partnership systems.

The existential challenges we face are global scale. They demand effective

solutions applied on a global scale. We need a framework of common purpose that

can bring the world’s diversity together. We have in our favor the fact that all

humans are connected together as never before, in real time, by the social media

and cell phones. We have the means to get all of humanity together on the same

page.

"We can build a partnership world, a more equitable and caring society, only if we

change the cultural stories we tell about what it means to be human."

Riane Eisler, Cultural Historian and Author, The Chalice and the Blade

Consider the core values that define cultural scale humanism:

1. Inherent Human Dignity

Every human being possesses intrinsic worth, regardless of race, gender, class,

culture, or identity.

• Cultural policies and social norms should reflect this dignity through

inclusion, representation, and justice.

• Human dignity must be protected in every cultural institution: media,

education, religion, and government.

2. Compassion and Empathy as Cultural Norms

Empathy and care are not just personal virtues, but necessary drivers of how we

shape cultural narratives.

• Storytelling, media, education, and public discourse should promote

emotional intelligence, understanding, and connection.

• Compassion is a corrective to systems of domination, discrimination, and

alienation.

3. The Right to Freedom of Expression and Identity

Every person must be free to express their authentic self—sexually, spiritually,

culturally—without fear.

• Cultural scale humanism champions freedom of sexual expression, gender

identity, and creative voice.

• Culture should not marginalize; it should make space for diverse ways of

being.

4. Partnership over Domination

Inspired by Riane Eisler’s “Partnership Model,” cultural scale humanism

prioritizes mutual care and co-creation over control and hierarchy.

• Society should elevate caregiving, emotional labor, and cooperation—not

just competition and conquest.

• Cultural evolution should move away from war, patriarchy, and coercive

systems.

5. Ecological Integrity and Interdependence

Human well-being is inseparable from the well-being of Earth’s living systems.

• A humanist culture recognizes the rights of nature, and the moral imperative

of ecological stewardship.

• Sustainability becomes a cultural value, not just an economic policy.

6. Education for Liberation

Culture must educate for critical consciousness, not just compliance.

• Education systems should foster moral imagination, social responsibility,

and planetary citizenship.

• Cultural scale humanism views children not as vessels to be filled but as co-

creators of the future.

7. Equity and Reparative Justice

Cultural institutions must not only address current inequalities but also repair

historical harms.

• This includes confronting colonialism, racism, sexism, and other systemic

injustices in cultural memory and practice.

• Humanism at scale demands truth-telling, restitution, and healing.

8. Universal Human Rights as Cultural DNA

Human rights are not just legal tools but guiding myths of our shared humanity.

• Arts, media, and institutions should internalize the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights as foundational wisdom.

• Rights become living values passed through culture—not just protected by

law.

9. Art and Creativity as Cultural Catalysts

The arts are essential to cultural transformation and the renewal of human spirit.

• Music, literature, film, and visual arts play a central role in shaping identity,

empathy, and social vision.

• Cultural scale humanism empowers artists and truth-tellers.

10. Global Solidarity and Local Flourishing

True humanism links the global to the local.

• Solutions must work for both the village and the planet.

• A just global culture respects the diversity of local cultures while upholding

shared values of human dignity and freedom.

Humanitarianism is entirely inclusive. It is not a religion. It does not depend on

belief in a superior being or deity. Cultural Scale Humanism encourages each of us

to marginalize tribalism and self-interest. Cultural Scale Humanism is about

common purpose; a kind of purpose that is equal for everyone. It is all of humanity,

choosing to come together; choosing to embrace our destiny as worthy caretakers

of life on our small planetary home.

Let’s all of us humans learn to see ourselves first as family. The best way to make

that happen is to embrace our common values as Humanitarians.

"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you

want to make." Jane Goodall, Global Voice for Nature